Reset-guard for adding-machines.



R.JBRAY.

RESET GUARD FR ADDING MACHINES.

APPLIUATXON FILED JULY 2, 1909.

1 ,068,309. patented my 22, 1913.

WHA/5555 R. J. BRAY. RESET GUARD FOR ADDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1909.

Patented July 22, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/NV TOR,

WITNESSES UNITED sTATEs PATENT onirica;

RE'GINALD JAMES BRAY, OF DUBLIN, I RELAND, ASSIGNOR TO ELLIOTT-FISHER COMPANY, 0F HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAVJARE.

RESET-GUARD FOR ADDING-MACHINES.

y Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22,1913.

Application filed July 24, 1909. Serial No. 509,359.

f70 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, REGINALD J. Bini r,^a subject ofthe King of Great Britain, residing at Dublin, Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reset-Guards for Adding-Machines, of which the following is aV specification.

This invention relates to a reset guard for adding machines of that type in which a computing device or register includes a se' ries of denominational members adapted to be operated successively by a master means to accumulate values.

`The object of the invention. is to provide aguard 4which will prevent the engagement ofthe master means with` the denominational members of the register unless the register mechanism is in proper condition for the accumulation ofvalues.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a register equipped in accordance with my'invention, the mechanism of the register being set and a portion Iof ythe master wheel being shown about to move into engagement therewith, the guard being in ,its normal ineffective position. Fig. 2 is a similarview with the mechanism of the register partially reset and the reset guard in position to prevent the engagement of the registerAby the master means. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a double reset guard. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the register with vparts thereof broken away and other parts in section to more fully disclose the construction, arrangement and mounting of therffset guard, the positions assumed by the parts corresponding to those shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the parts positioned' as in Fig. 2.

Each part is indicated by its appropriate reference character in the several views.

Itrmay be stated by- Wayof premise that i the .presentjnvention has been designed as an improvement on what is known as the Elliott-Fisherwriting-adding machine o f commerce, though obviously it is susceptible of use in connection with any machine of a. broadlynalogous class. The Elliott- Fisher machiiie is a combined typewriter and adder in which a master means is moved laterally by the typewriter carriage toengageany one of a series of denominational membersonnumber wheels of a. coinput-inggdevice or register andA 1s rotated dif-- both are old and well known.

ferent distances or through different angles of motion by the several numeral keys of the typewriter for the purpose of accumulating in the. register the `values represented by the typewritten digits.

For a more complete disclosure of the machine than is deemed necessary for the present purpose, reference is made to Letters Patent of the United States No. 829,971 to Laganke and Smith.

In the accompanying drawings l indicates a computing device or register of a well known' type and 2 its master Wheel or actuator. The wheel 9. is toothed to engage and operate any one of a series of toothed denominational members or number wheels '3 mounted on a normally stationary shaft -lopening G through which the total amount accumulated on the register is displayed.

By relative lateral movement of the master wheel and register lthe former is pre- 'sented in engagement with successive number Wheels 3 and is rotated from l to 9 increments for the purpose of accumulating from one to nine units of that denomination toY which the engaged number wheel is alp-- propriated.A As is .well understood .in tie art, it isnecessary to reset the register to zero after the desired computation has been effected and in the type of register shown lthe 'primary element of the setting mechanism is a setting lever 7 which, when swung .to an upright position and returned to the normal position indicated in Figs. l'and 4, resets the registering wheels to zero and restores the various mechanisms of the register to normal position. l

It has been deemed unnecessary to disclose either the complete setting mechanism or the entire mechanism set thereby, since It may be stat-ed in passing, however,that the resetting of the number wheels is effected by the rotation of the shaft 4 incident to the upward movement of the setting lever 7, While certain other of the parts are restored to normal position by the return of thelever and. the reverse rotation of the shaft 4. It will be seen by Figs. 4 and 5 that such rotary nid-.ement of the shaft 4 both from and back to normal vposition is effected by :the oscillation oftheglever 7 in' consequence ct a pinion 8 -iixedltojthe shaft 4 adjacent to one end thereof andengaging a segmental-rack 9 formed on the front end ofthe lever 7.

It may sometimes happen that in the rapid manipulation ofthe machine the operatormay manipulate the lever 7 to reset the 'registenbut nadvertentlyfail to resto-re the lever to its completely depressed or normal position. In that event the master wheel may bebrought into engagement with the register and an attempt made to operate thelatter before the @failure of the operator .to complete the resetting `vof the register is discovered.

As heretofore stated, the object of my Vinvention is to provide a guard which will A prevent the engagement of the register by the-master means unless. the mechanism ofP the register is in properly operative condi tion'. To attain this end a pair of guard 'disks'lO are fixed to the shaft 4 just beyond 'each end of the series of number Wheels and having a greater diameter t-han the bodyportions of the number Wheels 8.' The -Uuardfdisks 10, however, are cut away, as

indicated at l1, andv in the normal position of t-he shaft ithese cut away portions 1l ot' the disks are disposed at the front ot' 4the register and substantially coincide with the curved front edges l2 of the register Walls,

"` see Fig. 1i. In this normal position. ci' the guard disks they do not protrude into the path of lateral movement of the ,master wheel 9, but on the contrary, are in inactive positions and permit the master Wheel to pass freely into engagement with, the Wheels 3 of the register, see Figs. l and 4e.

' As soon, however, as the setting lever 7 ot' the register is moved from'normal position, the consequent rot-ation ci the shaft e rotates the guard disk 10 so as to protrude the .latter into the path of the master Wheel and thus guard the number Wheels, or in other lwords, prevent the .master Wheel from moving into engagement with said number Wheels until the shaft e and guards 10 have been completely restored to normal position by the completion of the setting operation. It desired, the top of the register lcasing may be equipped with a spring 13 engaged by a lug Alai on the resetting lever 7 during the final portion of the retractile movement of the lever. The purpose of this spring is to suiiiciently Withdraw the lever 7 to project a substantial portion of the guard disks 10 into the path of the master uiheel unless the lever is completely depressed and located. in its noi-mal position. That is to ay, if the lever 7 is moved nearly but not uite' to its fully set position, a comparatlvelysmali port-ion oi' the guard disks will 'lessees Before concluding, attention is directed.

to the tact that in one aspect ot my invention it constitutes broadly, means for preventing the engagement of a computing mechanism by lits operating means unless the former is incondition for operation, and that, ina more specific aspect, itconstitutes a reset guard preventing the engagement of the 'computing device and its actuating means, after the beginning of the resetting operation and unt-il the parts have all been restored to normal position. It is also obuious that While a double reset guard adapted to guard both ends of a series of denominational nembers has been shown, a single guarding` member constitutes a complete embodiment of the invention in vone aspect thereof. It is also obviously immaterial what particular form the operating or operated members assume', or vv ietherl the relative movement of such' members necessary to bring them into coperative relation is at tained by the movement of the operating member, the operated members, or by the conjoint movement of both, since theelenoininational translation of these members by each oit' the recited modes is Well known in the art to which this invention appertains, and since the guarding means here shown is not dependent upon any particular character of translation for its etfectiveness. y

In the appended claims I have specified guarding means arranged to'prevent the engagement of the computing and operating mechanisms except when the computing mechanism is in condition for opera-tion. This language is to be construed broadly since I am the first to provide a guard for preventing the engagement of the computing and operating mechanisms when the comput-ing mechanism is not in conditionfor operation, regardless of how such condition is brought about. Furthermore, I have specified a setting mechanism which, unless specifically modified in the claims, should be understood to be the mechanism for setting in normal operative position any part of the computing device which must be so set in order to insure its operative condition. lVhile the sett-ing mechanism, indicated in the accompanying drawings, is well known in the art. as a means for restoring the number Wheels to zero and also for restoring the carrying devices lto normal operative position, my invention is believedito be of suiiicient breadth to comprehend the use of a guard for preventing -engagement of the between the computing device and its operating means whenever a setting mechanism is out of normal position, regardless of the particular' elements of the computing device for the positioning of Which the setting mechanism mayy be employed.

.lt is thoughtthat from the foregoing, the construction and operation of the described mechanism will be fully understood, butl ivish to bc distinctly understood as reserving the right to effect such variations of the illustrated structure as may come'i fairly Within the scope of the protection prayed.

Vhat I cla-im is l. The combination with a computing mechanism and operating mechanism therefor, said mechanisms having relative movement to effect their engagement and disengagement and guarding means operative to prevent the engagement of said mechaiiisms when the elements of the computi-ng mechanism are out of operative position and to permit the engagement of said mechanisins when the computing mechanism is in condition for operation. 2. The combination with computing mechanisin and operating mechanism therefor, relativelyT movable into and out of coperative relation, of guarding means movable to permit or prevent the establishment of a cooperative relation between said mechanisms.

.3. The combination With computing mechanism and operating mechanism therefor, said mechanisms being relatively movable iii-to and out of engagement, of a movable guardmovable into and out of position to prevent the engagement of said mechanisms, and means for moving the guard.

4. The combination With a computing de vice including setting mechanism, of operating mechanismy for the computing device, and a guard operated by the setting mechanism of the computing device and serving in one position thereof to prevent the engagement of the. computing device by its operating mechanism.

5. A. computing device including'a series .of toothed Wheels, operating mechanism including a tooth-ed master Wheel, the series.

of toothed ivheels and the master Wheel having relative lateral movement to effecttheir engagement and disengagement, and a guard movable into and out of position to prevent the' engagement of the toothed Wheels by the master Wheel.

G. The combination With a. computing device including a series of toothed denominational members and setting mechanism therefor, orf-a master actuator adaptedto engage and yoperate the denominational members, and means cooperatively related to the' setting mechanism to prevent the operation of the denominational members by. the master means when said setting mechanism is out of normal position.

, 7. The combination with a computing de- 'ing device by said means, said computing device including setting mechanism con-- trolling the position ot the guard, and a .springtending to urge the guard to its active position and arranged to be overcome by the setting mechanism.

9. The combination with a computing device and its operating mea-ns, of a guard controlling the engagement of the computing device by said means, setting mechanism for the computing device, said setting mechanism including a lever arranged to operate the guard, and a spring opposing the return of the lever to normal position and tending to retain the guard in active position.

l0. The combination with a computing device and a master means for operating the same, 4said computing device and master.

means'liaving relative lateral movement into and out of engagement, and a rotary guard movable into and out of. position to obstruct such relative lateral movement.

l1. The combination with a computing device, of a register including a series of Wheels, a. shaft supporting said Wheels, a guard carried by the shaft, a master Wheel arranged to engage the Wheels first named, Aand means for rotating the shaft to project the guard into interfering relation with the' master Wheel.

12. The combination with a' computing device including a series of' Wheels, of a master Wheel adapted to engage said Wheels', and a guard located at the end 'of the series of Wheels and movable into and out of position to prevent the engagement of said wheelsby the master Wheel.

13. The combination With computing device including a' series of denominational Wheels, of a rotary guard disk located at one end of the series of Wheels and having -a cutaway portion, and a master Wheel laterally movable into engagement with the-denom-` inational wheels in one position of the disk and obstructed by said disk in another posi- `tion thereof.

14. The combination with an adding mechanism including a series of denominational members, of a master actuator for` said members, and guarding mechanismy including a plurality ot' guarding devices movable into position to prevent an operative engagement between the master means and the denominational members.

13. The combination with a computing mechanism including denominational inem- 'Cir bers and setting mechanism opetat'we to set said members, of operating means for the competing device7 and means preventing the operation oi' the computing device by the 'pending' means afer the setting mechafA msm is moved and before said meihanism has completed its operative movement.

1G. The combination` with a computing de vine .including denominational members and setting mechanism operative to set said nmznbe l gifting' device, and means ,controlling n e effective engagement betiveen'f-t1e comp ving device and its -operating mechanism', s d controlling means being co-aotiveiy -retaten to the setting mechanism.

i7. The combination with' a computing of operating 'meehanismgforfthe mechanism including elements which are moved out of normal posltion when the .computing mechanism is operated, of setting mechanism operative to return said elements to normal position to permit another operation of the computing device, operating means for the e'omputing device, and means preventing the operation of the computing device by `the operating means While said elements of the computing device are out of their normal operative positions. In testimony whereof ai'x my signature in presence of two Witnesses. REGINALD JAMES BRAY.

Witnesses:

M. OREILLY, J. M. *WEBSTER ..A. Gepies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissicnenof Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

